Seagreen
by Enziroth
Summary: The Grand Line is crazy. Really, really crazy. Kid's faced sadistic marine captains, crazy fishmen with way too many teeth, and even one particularly persistent baby pig. By the time he's almost to Sabaody, he thinks he's past the worst of it. He's wrong. (Kid/Mer!Law)
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so maybe it hadn't been the _best_ idea to launch himself right in the middle of three marine battleships.

To be fair, he'd had worse. Trying to show up Heat in the kitchen had been pretty bad, not to mention the one where he picked up every psycho he came across to be in his crew. So much crazy strength in one little ship had been useful, but Kid had to fight them for every bit of control. Hell, he had to set them loose on marine bases just to let off a little steam sometimes.

A little bit of that steam would be pretty nice right now. Where the fuck where they?

"Eustass Kid, pirate rookie. Three hundred thousand bounty. Not so impressive now, huh?"

Kid scowled at the marine captain. He'd taken out two of the ships and was well on his way to sinking the third, until some smartass with a bow had got him right in the arm with a seastone arrowhead.

Who the fuck even shot bows anymore? Kid would've smashed him right there for being a fucking pansy, but he was a little busy falling as his self-made floating metal platform collapsed.

The platform had been the second not-so-great idea of the day, but he'd forgive himself that one. He'd looked badass while flying around and laughing as the marines ran from their own guns.

"Give me one good reason not to run you through right here." The captain was still talking.

Kid smirked at him. "Pretty pissed, huh? I would be, if one guy sunk two of my ships and sent my crew screaming like little girls-"

The sudden fist in his face told him the marine hadn't liked his answer."So help me _God_ , I will tear your limbs off one by one until you _beg_!"

Kid spat blood and whistled, long and low. "Sorry, buddy. Not my kink."

Two marines had to come forward and restrain the man, each holding an arm to keep him back from Kid. The captain was raging now, face red and teeth bared. "I'll kill you! I'll break your bones! I'll cut off your dick and feed it to you, piece by piece, you motherfucking son of a..."

The insults died out, and the silence did more to unnerve Kid than all the bluster had. Seeing he was calm, the marines released their captain, stepping back into place behind him. The man moved forward, hand on his chin, studying the captive pirate.

"No," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. "I'm not gonna kill you. Tell me, pirate," he said, raising his voice and flashing Kid a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You ever heard what they do to rookies in Impel Down?"

Kid had. _Like fucking hell was he letting them ship him off to that shithole._

He considered his options. Killer and the others weren't anywhere nearby, or the bloodbath would've already started. He could try to dig the arrow out of his arm and fight, but in his weakened state he probably wouldn't get it halfway out before the marines caught on. He certainly couldn't take on a ship full of them, powerless, with a hole in his arm.

He could always jump ship and swim away, except, he couldn't fucking swim, and Killer wasn't here to dive in and drag his ass out. Maybe the current would be strong enough to carry him to shore, or at least close enough to his ship for the guys to see him.

So far, he had; nothing, fight and lose, maybe drown.

The rim of the ship wasn't far from him. If he turned and ran, he could make it before the marines thought to act.

Kid looked at the marine captain, sick grin still twisting his face. He looked at the sea, that wide open expanse of blue stretching as far as the horizon. He looked back at the captain.

Well, he'd already made two shit choices today. Why not round it out?

As he watched the smooth watery surface rushing towards his face, the surprised shouts from the men still on board muted in the rush of wind, he considered that it just wasn't his day.

The water was black around him. Funny how prettily blue it looked from above, when it wasn't trying to kill him.

Bad idea number three looked like his worst yet, judging by the way the light from the surface was fading fast as he sunk ever deeper. The current wasn't doing shit to move him, letting gravity do all the work in crushing his hopes for an escape.

 _Well, that's that, I guess._ Kid figured he should pull the arrow out of his arm, as one last 'fuck you' to that bitch-ass kid with the bow, but he was having a little trouble moving his hands.

He felt his back hit the sea floor, body settling slowly after it. Weird, he thought the sea would be a lot deeper than that. He could still see the light...

Kid didn't know much about the ocean, but wasn't the sea floor made of rock? Hard, rough rock, not this oddly warm, slippery stuff?

And he was pretty damn sure that it didn't feel like arms, _human arms_ , holding him up.

Kid started struggling then, trying to twist around. He could feel a presence now, something beside him just out of his sight. The oxygen loss was taking a toll on him, movements sluggish and thoughts disjointed. Fighting the water and his own mind, he managed to flip himself halfway over as black spots danced across his vision.

Gold eyes, shining bright as miniature moons in the dark background of the water, gazed down curiously at him. Then the black spots swarmed and took over, and Kid was out.


	2. Chapter 2

Somebody was yelling at him. Kid _hated_ being yelled at.

"thuyouwamt," he slurred, frowning. He couldn't get his eyes to open, for whatever reason. Might have something to do with the pounding hammers trying to bore a hole in his skull

Fuck, how much had he drunk last night? He hadn't had a hangover this bad in years. Everything was too loud, too bright, and some fucker was still yelling at him.

"Kid! Hey, c'mon. _Kid!_ " Hands were on him now, shaking him roughly.

"M'awake, m'awake. The fuck you want?" If he was being woken for anything short of Gold Roger coming down from the heavens and handing him a crown, heads would roll.

"To know my captain's alive, for starters." Oh. Killer. Shit, he better get up. If Killer was bothering him, it meant something was seriously wrong. He started to move, but his right side was too heavy, and even with his eyes closed the world spun. He slumped back down, took a breather, and tried again. This time, he managed to sit halfway up, cracking his lids.

The sliver of light that pierced right through his brain was enough to wake him the rest of the way. "What's wrong?"

"Well, you flew off alone when we caught that wiretap from the marines. We sailed around in circles for _two hours_ looking for you and didn't find shit. We'd finally given up looking for your stupid ass when something knocks the ship and hey, it's you, tied to a barrel and half dead. Any of that sound familiar?"

"Wiretap," Kid mumbled, the word sparking in his foggy brain. "Wiretap," he said again, trying to chase the thought. "We got one. Three marine battleships, on our log path. Idiots sent ironclads after us, I could crush 'em in their own ships."

Killer nodded. "Yeah, that's what you said, right before heading off on that stupid little flying plate you built. Bad move, moron. What if you lost your balance? You would've fallen right in the sea."

"I did fall." Kid frowned, eyes widening as blurred memories resurfaced one by one. "Took down two ships, got hit by an arrow. Creepy marine guy, pissed him off pretty bad. Jumped ship. Hey, wait, how'd I get here?"

"I told you; strapped to a barrel. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Drowning," Kid said, almost to himself. "I was sinking, and then I wasn't. Something caught me. Passed out before I could see it." He sat up all the way, recognizing the deck of his ship and his crew gathered around him. He took a mental inventory, and realized he couldn't feel any pain from his right arm.

Raising it, he stared at the odd bandage. Some kind of green seaweed-looking thing, wrapped around his wound. Whatever it was, it was working; his whole right half was numb.

Killer watched, silent, as Kid reacquainted himself with his body. "Something caught you, huh? Might be the same something that's been following the ship around since we picked you up." His first mate jerked a thumb towards starboard, and Kid dragged himself to his feet.

He limped to the right side of the ship and peered over. At first nothing stood out, blue stretching as far as he could see, but after a moment ripples rose against the otherwise smooth surface. Something was following the ship, all right, but at a safe distance. "Have you tried to catch it?"

"Yeah." Killer stood beside him, leaning against the rail with his arms crossed. "Whatever it is, it's faster than anything I've seen. Couldn't even get a glimpse of it."

"Hey!" he called out, and the ripples stilled. "Gonna come out?"

Nothing. He felt like a dumbass, yelling at water, but he was curious. "Can't I at least say thanks?"

"You can."

Kid's head snapped down, all the metal in the ship jumping to life in a sudden whirl of noise. The voice had come from directly below them, right against the hull. _How'd it move that fast?_

The face that stared back at him was human, but…not. Dark, spiky hair, a sharp nose, smirking in cool humor, it could've passed as a normal person.

Except for the twin white and black webs of flesh that sprouted from just behind its jaw. It smiled up at him, and Kid glimpsed a mouthful of viciously sharp teeth. _A fishman? This far from Sabaody?_

"It seems you survived. Care to let me change the bandages?"

Kid felt more than heard Killer's blades slide down, held ready by his side. Wire raised his trident over his head, points clearly aimed at the thing in the water. Behind him, his crew bristled with weapons out.

The fishman raised an eyebrow, but didn't move. "How rude. Are you going to call them off?"

"Depends. Are you gonna come out?" Kid wanted to talk with his possible savior on his ship, where he was in control. He didn't know why it had saved him, or if it even knew who he was; if the fish was hoping to get something out of it, he was in for a surprise. Kid didn't do favors.

Silence ruled, neither willing to back down. Kid felt the eyes of his crew on him, waiting for a signal. All it'd take was a nod of his head, a barked order, and the fish would be dead meat. Inwardly, his ego preened. _Yeah, they're freaks, but they're loyal freaks._

Slowly, slowly, smile never faltering, the fishman raised his hands above the water in a gesture of peace. They were normal, without the webbed fingers Kid had seen in the few others of its kind he'd encountered. "I'm afraid I can't join you up there, Mr. Eustass. There are some…anatomical difficulties." Around him, scales flashed below the surface of the water.

So it did know who he was. Kid squinted, curiosity aroused. "What gives? Don't all fishmen work fine on land, too?"

The fish laughed at that, a low chuckle that made the fine hairs on the back of Kid's neck stand up. He fidgeted, annoyed at the odd feeling. "What's fucking funny?"

"I can get 'im, captain," Wire murmured from his side. "I've seen 'im move, I can throw faster." Kid acknowledged him with a nod, but didn't give the order, waiting until the fish's laughter died out.

"That's true. It so just happens that I'm not a fishman. A good guess, Mr. Eustass, but an incorrect one all the same."

Kid scowled, trying to decide if he liked the way it said his name. The formality was respectful, almost deferential, but the tone was teasing. "Then tell me what kind of human's got gills and…whatever those are." He waved a hand at the winglike flaps.

"I never said I was human." The creature shifted, rising so that his torso was displayed above the water. Black spots dotted his arms and converged to form swirling patterns across his chest. Kid noted, grudgingly, that the sight was almost attractive.

 _Almost_. The fins on his arms, larger versions of the ones behind his jaw, rang warning bells in his mind. Scales shimmered, just out of sight, and again Kid focused on them, cursing the murky water.

He gave up trying to figure it out. "What the fuck are you?"

"My, my. Don't I get to keep any secrets?" The fish smirked, sinking back below the waves until only his head was visible again.

Kid had half a mind to let Wire kill the damn thing. He didn't need to play this stupid game when he could just have its dead body pulled out and spread on his deck.

It seemed to sense his impatience, face finally settling into a serious expression. "I'll make you a deal. If you let down one of those dinghies and allow me to change your bandages, I'll come up on the boat and you can see what I am."

"Killer comes with me." No way in hell was he going close to the water without his first mate to pull him out, in case the fish tried any tricks.

Its eyes flitted from him to the man by his side, making the connection. It nodded, once. "Very well. We have a deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Kid leaned back against the rim of the small boat, trying to relax as his crew lowered it down. Without the rush of adrenaline when he'd faced the sea earlier, the sight of water left him with a vague sense of nausea. He was painfully aware of his weakness to seawater, and even with the boat rigged with weapons and Killer by his side, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing something stupid.

Killer seemed to agree; Kid could feel his disapproving glare even through the man's mask. He hadn't spoken since Kid made the decision to meet the fish, projecting the image of the loyal first mate, but Kid knew he'd hear it when they got back on the ship.

Whatever. He did stupid things all the time and came out fine; he'd deal with it.

The dinghy landed in the water with a gentle splash, and Kid sat up. If the fish was planning on trying anything, it'd do it now.

The surface just beside the boat rippled, and the creature appeared. As it had before, it only allowed its torso to show. It stretched, arms braced on the boat and head tilted back, letting the water droplets roll off it and into the sea. From this close, Kid could make out little details he'd missed from on the ship; double-pierced ears with gleaming rings, the folds in its fins, the oddly heart-shaped design on its chest.

It shifted closer and Killer stiffened, but the creature seemed completely at ease, moving to sprawl lazily over the side of the boat and gaze at Kid with half-lidded eyes. Its hand dipped below the surface and came back up with a dripping wad of seaweed, similar to the one Kid wore tied around his arm.

Kid eyed it. "I'm not touching that till it's dry."

The creature tilted its head, giving him a curious look. "A fruit user, then? Explains why you couldn't swim."

"Yeah."

The wad was wrung out, and the fish's deft fingers felt cool against Kid's skin as it replaced the bandage. The change was immediate, a numbing wave washing over him from where the seaweed lay against his skin. Kid thunked his head back and gritted his teeth, fighting the feeling. He disliked any form of pain relief, medical treatment in general really. If he didn't understand it, he didn't want it near him.

Kid didn't voice his complaint, though. A deal was a deal, and besides, he was really fucking curious. "Okay, I kept my part. Now get up here and keep yours."

The atmosphere in the little boat turned frosty, the creature's demeanor shifting from laid-back to on-edge in an instant. Kid tensed, ready to grab it if it tried to swim away.

It didn't run, but it didn't move to get on either. It just sat there, half on the boat, expression caught somewhere between suspicion and uncertainty.

Killer spoke up for the first time. "You made us a deal. We've done our half. If you're planning to cop out on yours, you should know this; Kid here," he nodded at his captain, "can control metal, and those pretty little earrings look metal to me."

The creature's hand went involuntarily to the earrings in question. It caught itself, scowling, hand lowering to its side. "That's good to know, but I don't plan on cheating you."

"That so." Killer's tone was flat, but his implication was obvious; get yourself on the boat, or else.

"I'll have you know that the reactions I've had to showing myself have been...varied," it hinted, as if in a last-ditch attempt to convince them to give up. Kid merely grunted.

"Very well. I warned you."

Still it seemed to hesitate, gaze flicking back and forth between Kid and the water. Finally it seemed to reach a decision, mouth set in a grim line and face hardened in determination. One arm reached across the boat, taking hold of the other side, and with a harsh grunt of effort the creature began to pull itself up.

Muscles strained, bunching under the tawny skin. Its progress was torturously slow, and the dinghy creaked in protest, one side rising as the creature's weight fell on the other. At this rate, it was more likely to flip them all into the sea than get itself on the boat.

Kid's patience, already sorely tested, snapped. He leaned forward to grip the fish under its arms and lifted slowly. Startled, it let out an indignant squawk.

He found himself having to pull much harder than he expected, bracing the creature against his chest for leverage. Whatever it was hiding below the waist, there was a lot of it, and it was _heavy_.

Killer's short intake of breath, his first mate seeing what the angle blocked him from, spurred Kid to throw his whole body into one final tug that rocked the boat and drew something like a whimper from the thing's throat.

Kid ended up halfway off the boat himself, leaned far back with the fish's weight spread over him. Its skin was warm against his bare chest, oddly comforting, but Kid thought of its fins touching him and shuddered.

With the boat sitting far lower in the water, he had to be careful as he shifted the creature to his lap to get a good look at it.

He blinked. Rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand, and blinked again.

Sprawled across the whole of the boat, one long sinuous line coiled haphazardly around itself, was a tail. Scales along the length of it shimmered in blue and black, growing gradually smaller as they led down to where the end tapered off in a twin-tipped fin.

Killer had his hands on it, gauntlets pulled back to reveal long white fingers that stroked at the thin webbing that spanned the fin. It twitched, a shudder running through the whole tail as the creature tightened its grip around Kid. His gaze drifted to where the tail joined the torso, colored plates blending almost seamlessly into human skin.

... _Mermaid?_

Kid looked down at the fish, its head turned to one side and cheek pressed to his chest. It was obviously male, without breasts or curves, but something about the way its waist tapered off into its hips reminded him of a woman.

 _Would it feel like one?_ He couldn't see its expression, but it seemed content enough to sit there with Killer's hands all over it; another pair couldn't hurt.

He moved forward, resting his palms on a coil where the hips would be on a normal human. The scales were surprisingly soft, holding firm when he pressed his thumb into them but yielding to gentle pressure. The feel of tiny muscles convulsing beneath his hands, smooth swell rising to fill his grip, the tiny breaths of air against his abdomen whenever he dug his fingers into a spot under the curve...

 _Ah, shit_. Kid's dick started to perk up, taking an interest. He couldn't deny that the fish looked good with all its lean muscle out in the open, and the warm flesh under his palms made him want to grope and grind.

With the creature holding him tight, Kid mapping out sweet spots, and Killer practically fondling the thing, he had to wonder how this was gonna go down. Usually, if he'd had his hands on someone for this long, it meant they were spending the night on his ship...in his bed.

That thought raised a whole lot of questions. _Can we get it on the ship? Can we do it here, on the boat? Can the crew see us?_

And the kicker, hitting him like a punch to the gut: _Can this thing even_ be _fucked_?

That one pulled him up short real quick, shattering the dreamy haze he hadn't noticed slipping over him. "Hey," he said, gritting his teeth when neither seemed to notice him. " _Hey_!"

That broke the spell. Killer dropped the tail, fin flopping to the deck with a wet smack. The creature peered up at him with watery gold eyes, and he could've sworn the look in them was almost grateful.

Kid wanted to move, the tightness in his pants getting more uncomfortable by the second, but there was nowhere for him to go in the cramped boat. He settled for raising his knees, propping the fish up enough that it didn't rest right against his crotch. He flashed Killer a look, and though the mask hid his expression, he could tell by the tightening of fists and gauntlets sliding back into place that the man was regaining his composure.

Kid wasn't known for his subtlety. "Okay, what the _fuck_ was that?"


	4. Chapter 4

" _What the fuck was that?_ "

"That? That was the reason why people pay so much for mermaids. _Which I am not_ ," the creature added, anticipating Kid's question. It untangled itself from Kid's grip, bracing its hands on the rim of the boat to push itself up.

"What are you, then?" he asked instead.

"A merman. _Man_. We might be rare enough that most people don't know of us, but I assure you, we appreciate the distinction."

Kid ran a hand over his face. "Okay," he said, head still buzzing from the sudden switch. "Shit, okay. I need a minute."

Killer spoke up. "That wasn't natural. What did you do?"

The merman laughed, a sharp bark that seemed almost painful. "Me? I didn't do anything. Funny, how you think I can control it." It shifted, moving the end of its tail so that the fin lay in the water. "Are we done here?"

"No." Killer's voice was deadly calm. Kid knew his first mate prided himself on his ability to remain detached, to be calm while Kid went off and did all the crazy shit. The fact that he'd lost his head for a minute and Kid had been the one to call him back had to be a tough one to swallow, and knowing Killer, he'd be plenty happy to take out any hard feelings on the fish.

"No, I've got shit to ask you. Why did you save me?"

The merman idly drummed its fingers against the side of the boat. "Do you really care?"

"Yeah." He was curious why it seemed so determined to help him. The fact that it'd kept him from drowning was odd enough, fish-people (or whatever they were) usually didn't care what happened to humans...but then it'd stuck around just to fix him up. And to do it, it'd revealed itself, something that obviously made it uncomfortable. That was a whole lot of work for a whole lot of nothing in return.

If the fish didn't give him a good explanation, he'd just have to hold it hostage on his ship until it came clean...

Fuck, he liked the sound of that. He could build a tank for it on deck, keep it on display. It'd give the crew something to look at during the long days at sea when nothing interesting happened, something to keep them from getting into fights out of sheer boredom.

Kid felt more relaxed just looking at the thing; the long coils of light blue reflected light in pleasing patterns, and he could imagine how the tail would look when the merman was swimming, all those little muscles undulating together. He'd build a big tank, knock out a few walls so it could be next to his quarters and still have the sunlight shine down so those pretty patterns lit up his room. And at night, when the sun no longer reached it, he'd take it out of the tank and spread it on his bed so he could get his hands all over that-

"Okay, whatever the fuck it is that's fucking with my head right now, you need to make it stop."

The merman blinked at him. "You can tell when it's happening? And I told you, I can't control it. If you don't want it to affect you, then don't look at my tail."

"Yeah, I can tell. The shit it puts in my head is weird, it makes me want to-" he saw the merman stiffen, and cut himself off. "It's not me, and I can tell," he finished lamely.

The merman seemed to study him for a moment, brows drawn up and lips pursed. It turned around, eyeing Killer. "Could you tell, as well?"

Killer didn't answer, but Kid heard the message loud and clear. "No, he couldn't. You should probably get that," he nodded at the tail, careful not to let his gaze rest on it, "out of sight."

The merman pushed itself up from Kid's lap, bracing itself as if to dive off the edge. "Don't leave yet," Kid added hastily. "I've still got questions." He knew the lecture he'd catch from Killer later was getting longer every minute, but he didn't care. He was the captain, and Killer wasn't, damnit.

The merman raised an eyebrow at him. "I have better things to do with my time, Eustass."

"Whatever."

It slid into the water, resurfacing up to the waist as it had before. The boat creaked and rose, suddenly much bigger without the merman crammed in it.

It propped an elbow on the side of the boat and leaned against it, smirk back in place as if it had never left. The gold eyes flashed with amusement, all its confidence worn easily now that it was in the water again.

Without the tail and its mesmerizing colors in front of him, Kid was able to focus on the oddities of the creature's appearance. Once again, the fins vaguely disgusted him, and he couldn't imagine how he'd ever wanted to fuck the thing. "Why does the tail mess with my head?"

The merman gave a dismissive wave."Hypnotism? Hormones? Some kind of primal human fetish for tails? I don't know. Next question."

"Does it happen to everybody?"

"Every man I've ever met." The creature's tone was flippant as it studied its nails, but Kid saw the gold in its eyes dim slightly.

"How many mermen are there?"

"A few dozen. I've never met another, but everyone on Fishman Island has heard of them."

"You got a name?" he asked, and yeah, he really should've asked that sooner.

"Is this your last question?" The merman looked impatient now, eyes sliding to the fading sun. "I hate these waters after dark."

Kid wasn't ready to let it go yet, but he didn't like the thought of being so close to seawater when the sun went down. "Yeah, it's the last one."

"My name is Trafalgar Law. Do with it what you will." It...or he, as Kid thought of him now that he had a name...turned away from the boat, gathering itself to dive.

Kid remembered the first question he'd asked. "Hey, wait...!"

The merman threw an annoyed look over his shoulder. "What _is_ it, Eustass?"

"Why did you save me?"

Law shrugged. "You can't blame me."

At Kid's confused look, he grinned, showing off that mouthful of sharp, sharp teeth. "Really, Eustass? You're attractive."

With that, he dove under the waves, tail coming up in one smooth arc to spray the boat with seawater in his wake.


	5. Chapter 5

Killer was pissed. "You should have let me kill it."

" _It_ has a name, you know." And it was a nice one, too. _Trafalgar Law_. That was one Kid wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"It's a threat. Who knows what's in that thing?" His first mate waved a hand at the seaweed wrapped tightly around Kid's arm, numbing effect still strong but beginning to fade."It could be poisoning you, right now, and we'd never know."

"If it was poison, I'd already be dead." It'd already been a few hours since the merman had left, and Kid had spent most of that time dodging questions from the crew. He'd told them what happened with the marines, and what had been following the ship, but he kept the details of their meeting between him and Killer. "Besides, why would he go through the trouble of fixing me up just to kill me?"

A big portion of that time had been spent in the ship's med bay, with Wire to look over the damage. To his surprise, his wounds had already been cleaned and treated. Under the bandage, the one on his arm was closed, and pink skin had begun to replace the ugly red tissue.

Wire had whined until he'd let him tear off a sample of the bandage to experiment with. He'd never seen anything like it before, and Kid had wondered aloud if he could talk the merman into getting them some more of the stuff.

That had set Killer off, and Kid found himself spending the next hour listening to the man bitch his heart out.

"How did he just so happen to be near you when you fell in the water?"

"Luck?"

"It couldn't be. He knew your name, what you were, and how to find our ship."

"Doesn't mean shit. Lots of people know who I am." Damn right they should. Kid had the highest bounty of anyone sailing the Grand Line, and he liked people to know it.

"And he _still_ helped you. If he knows your name, then he knows all the shit you've done. No offense, Kid, but you're an asshole, and anyone who helps an asshole is either crazy or planning something."

Well, he had a point. "I don't see why it's such a big fucking deal. We'll probably never see him again anyway."

Why did that disappoint him? Sure, the merman interested him, and was even kinda cute if he didn't focus on the fins too much, but if Kid had really wanted him then he'd have kidnapped the guy. It wouldn't be the first time; he'd gained a good chunk of his crew that way. They all came around after a while, when they saw how easily they fit in with the rest of Kid's little band of freaks.

On second thought, it might be nice to have somebody like that on their side. Kid had heard of fishmen whose teeth were strong enough to bite through ships and sink them that way; Law's had looked pretty tough, and that'd come in handy whenever they had to face the sleek wooden ships the marines sent sometimes. Those had been a pain in the ass before, too fast to ram or chase and not enough metal on them for Kid to take out the crews, but with a merman…

"Don't you fucking dare. I know that look." Killer pointed an accusing blade at him from where he was sharpening them at Kid's workbench. "It's not gonna join us, so if you're thinking of kidnapping it, think again."

"It's worked before."

Killer scoffed, sound muffled by his mask. "Is that your reason for everything? You gonna go jump in the water again, just because you came out alive last time?"

Kid shrugged.

Killer socked him in the arm.

Kid didn't expect to see the merman again, but he still kept an eye out for him. He took to sticking around the back of the ship, watching the wake and looking for ripples. It drove Killer half-mad with Kid leaning too far over the edge whenever something flashed in the water.

"You want a fishman so bad? We're six islands out from Sabaody. When we go down to Fishman Island, take your pick of whoever's willing."

"I don't want a fishman," Kid growled, and Killer thunked his head back against the doorframe leading to Kid's room.

"The merman isn't coming back. Whatever he was after, he got it, okay?"

"What if he's still following us, though?" Kid could have sworn he'd seen dark blue fins the other day, but Killer hadn't let him lower the dinghy; some bullshit about a storm coming, and the waves being too big for it.

"It's been three weeks. Face it, Kid, he's gone."

A thought struck him, and he slammed his fist down against his workbench, rattling the tools. "Maybe if I jump in again, he'll show up to get me out."

"That's the stupidest fucking idea you've ever had. No."

"But I want him," Kid whined, foot lashing out to kick a fallen wrench. It was a good idea; the water was calm enough for them to see Law coming, and Killer was on hand to get him out if he didn't show. "I'm the captain, damnit."

"And I'm your first mate, who's here for the sole purpose of keeping you from doing shit like this. Fuck, Kid, I don't get why you're hung up on him. It isn't like you." Killer shifted, leaning against the entryway to really look at his captain. "I'm starting to think whatever he pulled with his tail fucked with your head."

"It didn't," Kid scowled, and really, it hadn't. He knew what it felt like to be under the spell, to have the sudden urge to touch, take, use. All the thoughts that just felt wrong, somehow, as if someone else was writing them down and stuffing them in his head. Honestly, he couldn't even remember what the tail looked like, images of it slipping through his grasp whenever he tried to focus on them.

His mind drifted to Law, as it had done every moment he'd had to himself for the past three weeks. Even Kid didn't understand why he was so obsessed with the merman. It wasn't that he was rare, or unique. He'd seen plenty of stuff like that and never given it a second thought. It couldn't be attraction, either. Those fins looked like they'd be cold and slimy, and without a lower half Kid wouldn't know what to do with the guy.

But damn, if he'd been human, he'd have been Kid's type. Smaller than Kid but not pathetic, skin the kind of dark that looked nice all sweaty, and hair just long enough to get a good grip in.

Okay, so maybe it was attraction. Usually he'd track the one he wanted down and fuck it out of his system, but as there were a whole lot of reasons why he couldn't do that in this case…voila, three weeks of Law burning a hole in his head. Hey, he was pretty good at this whole introspection thing.

Somebody coughed, and Kid looked up to see Spike standing by Killer at the door. "What?"

"We've spotted land. It's the next island, Sirroc."

Oh, good. Kid could use a walk after three weeks of sitting pretty on the ship.


	6. Chapter 6

A gun fired, and even before he recognized the sound, he'd already formed a field.

The bullet slowed, stopping a foot away from his head, and hung in the air.

The little tavern went abruptly silent. By his side, Killer clicked his tongue. "They never learn, eh?"

Kid watched the bartender's eyes widen in panic, flicking between him and Killer. "I swear we didn't…we weren't trying to-"

"Set a trap?" Killer finished for him. "That's too bad." He stood, unsheathing his blades and turning to the crowd behind them. He pushed through them, people scrambling to get out of his way, until he reached a table in the back where one man sat alone.

Gun out with the tip still smoking, he didn't have time to react before his arm was a bloody stump.

Over the screams that followed, Kid stood and stretched, letting the bullet fall to the floor. He snatched the bottle the bartender had been in the middle of pouring out, chugging its contents before tossing it to the ground. "Sorry," he said, grinning at the stunned man. "You forfeited that when you let 'im shoot at me."

Killer held up a snailphone from the mutilated body on the floor. "Marines. There'll be more around somewhere."

"I'll have to level the whole damn island, then." The few people left, falling over each other to get through the door, didn't take that well. One whimpered. A few looked like they'd piss themselves.

" _Please_ ," the bartender begged. "I swear to God, we didn't know!"

Kid reached out with his power, feeling all the metal around him begin to stir. Killer moved to stand behind him, watching his back as the silverware in the bar crackled with energy. "Wire and Heat are out getting supplies. They'll run back to the ship when they see this place go up, but we'll end up short on food, _again_."

"There's always the next island."

Killer socked him in the arm again as the roof of the tavern blew off.

There wasn't much left of the town by the time they got to the port. Kid's ship was waiting, nestled in the middle of the two long outcroppings that formed the harbor. The gangplank was raised, Wire guarding the top as a lookout. He shouted to the crew as they approached, plank lowering to meet them.

Something exploded behind them as they ran, shrapnel flying, and Kid heard Killer swear. He didn't have time to look back; he could feel the heat of the fire on the back of his neck, and with Killer's footsteps still pounding behind him, it couldn't be too serious.

A few more strides, wood creaking beneath their feet, and they were up.

"Alright, raise anchor, we're leaving _now!_ " Kid shouted, immediately taking charge. "That's an oil fire, I want us out of the harbor before it reaches the docks."

Orders out of the way, he was mobbed with questions.

"What happened?" Wire.

"Marine with a gun."

"Is he dead?" Heat.

"Yeah."

"What's with the fire?" Spike.

"Oil spill."

"His dumb ass decided to blow up a refinery," Killer added from behind.

Kid turned to face him. "The hell was I supposed to know...woah, shit. Wire!"

Killer had his hand cinched tight around his upper arm, but a steady stream of blood dripped from the spaces between his fingers. He was leaning heavily against the railing, favoring his left leg.

Wire ran over to him, holding him up as he limped to the medbay. Kid cursed, about to follow after him when Spike tapped him on the shoulder.

"The fuck you want?" Kid growled.

"Captain, we've got company." Spike pointed back with a thumb, and Kid peered around him.

Marine ships were coming around the twin arms of the harbor, from where they'd been hidden behind the raised rocks. They were moving fast, maneuvering into place to form a sort of blockade across the mouth of the harbor. Kid counted five, all full-size, fully-manned ships.

All the sleek, wooden chasers he hated so much.

He could hear the crackling of the fire in the distance, growing ever louder. With a blaze this big, sparks could fly out and catch them if there were anywhere near it. Trapped in the port, they'd be plenty close enough.

The middle marine ship pulled ahead of the others, stopping just out of cannon range. It was the biggest, a ranked official's judging by the gold-lined flag it flew. At its bow, a figure stood. Kid recognized him by the sick, twisted smile plastered on his face.

The marine captain cupped his hands over his mouth, shouting across the water. "Surrender!"

"Fuck off!" Kid yelled back. His men were already in fighting positions, cannons armed and firebombs stacked at the ready. He'd fought his way through marine blockades before, and he damn well wasn't going to be stopped when he was almost to Sabaody.

By the gleeful grin, the marine wasn't too upset. "Then it's hell for you, dirty pirate!"

The first volley Kid's ship fired went high, one shot clipping a mast and another hitting the crow's nest of the flagship while the others flew by. The marine officer's flag went up in flames, a petty victory that Kid had no trouble feeling good about.

He raised the nearest firebombs with his power, taking aim. He couldn't do too well with accuracy over long distances, but he'd found that with the bombs' blast range, he didn't need to.


	7. Chapter 7

Four minutes later, the two leftmost marine ships were in full blaze, but Kid was no closer to breaking the blockade. He couldn't skirt past the flaming ships unless he wanted his to catch too, and the other three had obviously realized that. They'd spread out over the right, keeping a safe distance from the burning ships but staying close enough that he couldn't slide between them, all the while maintaining a steady bombardment.

Kid's ship had run out of cannonballs, those being one of the things Wire and Heat had left behind when they'd seen the tavern blow. He still had plenty of firebombs, but Kid couldn't risk setting any more ships on fire or they'd have no way out. The blaze behind them had almost reached the docks, steadily creeping onward.

Kid had anchored the ship in the middle of the harbor, as far away from the docks as he could get without running alongside the marine ships. If they'd been fool enough to shoot cannonballs at him, this could have been over quickly, but they hadn't. Instead, they'd opted for something else.

The marines were firing _arrows_ at him. Flimsy, pussy bitch arrows, from flimsy, pussy bitch bows.

And it was _working_.

With the seastone heads, Kid couldn't deflect them, and his place in the middle of the harbor meant he was within their range. He'd taken one of his ship's hull plates and raised it to use as a shield, but it wasn't big enough to cover the whole ship. Even with his men forming their own cover out of tables and chairs from belowdecks, Wire's med bay was full of the wounded.

And all Kid could toss back was scrap metal, which they were running dangerously low on.

When he heard the crackle of flames as the island fire reached the wooden docks, he seriously considered flying over to fight the marines like he had before. If he got close enough, he could turn their swords, guns, and all the metal marines always seemed to wear to his use.

But that would mean getting right in the thick of those seastone arrows, and that was suicide.

He was running short of options, and he knew it.

Kid had one last plan; a reckless final charge. He could pull up all the metal plating on the ship and use it to form a protective shell, then run full speed at one of the chasers.

There was so much that could go wrong, even he was hesitant. First, there wasn't enough metal to form a complete dome, and if any arrows got through to him, he'd drop the shield and they'd all be dead.

Second, he'd be leaving the lower half of the ship completely unprotected, and with all his attention on the shield any cannonballs the marines might be holding back would sink them. With his crew stuck as sitting ducks in the water, they'd all be dead.

Third, the marine ships were fast enough to dodge them and circle around to fire from behind, where the shield would be weakest. If they broke through, they'd all be dead.

The roar of the blaze from the port was growing steadily louder, and a stray spark landed beside him on deck. It was weak, barely glowing; he easily stomped it out, but more would be on their way.

He had no choice. "Raise anchor, throw up the sails. Full speed ahead."

His crew moved to follow his orders. He didn't have time to tell them what he was planning, and they had to know how low their chances of making it out alive were, but they trusted him.

Kid felt his heart swell with pride, beating stronger for a moment. Any captain would be lucky to go down with such a crew.

 _Five islands out from Sabaody,_ he thought wistfully, then mentally gathered himself. _I'm not dead yet._

The ship groaned, and in his legs he felt it begin to move forward. He concentrated all his power into ripping out the plating, fixing the largest sheet directly on the prow.

Beneath him, the ship picked up speed. He could see the flagship ahead of him signal to the other chasers, a red-crossed flag for "ceasefire". The marine captain was probably trying to figure out what he was doing.

Faster, faster. Kid ripped off another plate, attaching it to the side. He didn't want to block his view, not yet, not until he knew how he should expect to die.

The flagship raised its sails, and they quickly filled with wind. The captain had figured out his plan, and their move would be to dodge and circle around behind him.

Air sped past Kid's face, whistling in his ears. God, if they hit another ship at this speed, they might be crushed. He hadn't even thought of that.

He'd just pulled off another plate, ready to block out the sky and hope for the best when a loud crack rang out over the water.

There was a moment of stillness afterwards, as if the noise has stunned even the fire into silence.

Then the marine flagship crumpled.

There was no other way to describe it. The hull collapsed, falling in on itself, and without its support the deck was pulled apart. The ship fell to pieces in front of them, wood splintering and men screaming loud enough to be heard over the roar of the flames.

The mast fell with the groan of wood giving way, busting through the side railing and letting in water. Odd-looking currents swirled around the chaser, forming a whirlpool-like pit it had no choice but to fall in to. The whole mess sunk into the sea, leaving only bits of sail and floating wood that bobbed gently on the waves.

Kid's ship sailed right over where the flagship had been, marines frantically swimming out of its path as it escaped unhindered from the harbor.


	8. Chapter 8

"...and it fell apart, just like that." Sitting in the med bay, relaying the events to Killer, Kid still couldn't believe it. It was just…too perfect.

Killer seemed to agree. "And the other ships didn't follow us?"

Kid had dropped the thick metal plates as soon as he'd regained his head, opting for speed over armor. Even though marines were pitifully useless without a leader, they'd realize soon enough that their ships could easily catch up to Kid's.

"No, they didn't." Kid had stood by the stern for an hour after they'd left Sirroc behind, a stack of firebombs at his side in case he saw white sails in the distance. Nothing had appeared, and as the island had faded to a speck on the horizon, he'd left the crew with orders to alert him and headed belowdecks to check on his first mate.

"I don't like this, Kid. Shit like this doesn't happen."

"Hey, not my problem if marines can't take care of their ships. The hull could've been rotted through." Kid was still giddy with adrenaline, one foot tapping a steady beat against the floor of the med bay. The rush of the charge had refused to die down, some part of him unable to comprehend that he was still alive.

Killer shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot for his leg. It looked difficult for him to move, with the limb tied to a split and his arm hanging limp by his side. The bandage on it was already soaked through with blood, and Kid had replaced it just five minutes ago. It looked bad, but he'd seen Killer with worse.

Still, that needed to be replaced. "Hold on, I'm gonna get another bandage."

Killer waved him down when he tried to stand, quickly moving his hand back to put pressure on his wound. "Wire hasn't got any to spare. I'll be fine, I'm more worried about what happened. Ships don't just break into pieces like that, and you know it."

"Maybe it wasn't made right. You get that, with cheap builders." Kid didn't want to think about it. He could've died, could've lost everything he'd fought for; but he hadn't, and that's all that mattered.

"Then it would have cracked down the middle, or listed on one side. It wouldn't have sunk in ten seconds flat, Kid."

"Fine. Then what _did_ happen?"

"That's it. I don't fucking know." The man's frustration showed in the way his whole body tightened, a sure sign he was expecting trouble.

"Then tell me why it matters so fucking much-"

The door opened, interrupting Kid mid-rant. "What?" he snapped at the crewmember in the doorway.

"You remember that thing that followed us around a while back, boss?"

What, the merman? "Yeah, why?"

"It's back."

Law was waist deep in the water, leaning against the twisted array of bolts that'd once held the ship's armored plating….and casually picking wood out of his teeth.

"You son of a bitch," was all Kid could say.

"I see you're doing well. I'm fine too, thanks." The smug, teasing tone was exactly as he remembered, and if he ignored the slivers of wood that still poked out, so was the smirk.

Kid's brain was working overtime, trying to fit Law into his memory of the escape from Sirroc. "What the hell did you do?"

Law worked a particularly large piece out, frowning at it before tossing it into the sea."I chewed through the underbelly of a marine ship. Which was an awful idea, by the way. Do you know how bitter water sealant is? Disgusting."

"What…why…" Fuck, he wasn't going to stand here and look like an idiot in front of his crew. "Stay there, I'm coming down. We're gonna talk."

Law scowled. "I don't take kindly to orders, Eustass."

"Whatever."

They had to lower the boat by hand, the mechanism for it being one of the things Kid had tossed at the marines. Kid added a new pulley to the list of shit he'd have to rebuild, along with the water heaters, fridge units, and most of the ship's plumbing.

Law wasn't anywhere to be seen when the boat hit the water, but he surfaced soon after, spraying the dinghy with a rain of droplets. Kid leaned away, stray drops landing on the sleeve of his coat as he raised it in defense. "Hey, watch it."

Law didn't offer an apology, instead propping up an elbow on the rim of the boat and raising an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Kid's mind had managed to regroup in the time it took to lower the dinghy, and even without Killer's cautious presence, warning bells were ringing in his head. "Why did you help me?"

Law shrugged, arm fins rippling with the movement. "I did what I intended to do. The fact that it aided you is of no consequence."

"What were you trying to do?"

"It just so happens that Sirroc's harbor has the kind of fish I like. It just so happened that I was hungry, and it just so happened that there was a marine ship in my way."

"Bullshit. You could've swam around it."

Law absently picked at his teeth. "Who's the merman here, Eustass? I know what I can and can't do."

"You know," Kid said conversationally, leaning forward to lay both arms against the side of the boat next to Law. "I really don't appreciate being treated like an idiot."

"You know," Law matched his tone with an easy grin. "I did save your life."

"Are you trying to hold that over my head? Cause I can tell you, it's not gonna work." Despite himself, Kid was enjoying their little bout. He hadn't had to really work for something since entering the Grand Line; in these seas, you either had enough strength to get what you wanted or you didn't.

"How rude. I wouldn't expect any less from a pirate." The tone was far from insulting, almost impressed. With what? The knowledge that Kid wouldn't roll over at his command just because he'd slapped some seaweed on him and chewed through a couple of planks?

"What, am I offending your dainty little senses?" Kid leaned in, close enough to smell the scent of sea and salt on Law.

Law could smell him too, by the way his nose wrinkled and he squinted in distaste. "You _reek_ ," he hissed.

Kid hadn't had time to shower after the battle, but there were men on his crew that went weeks without scrubbing down. "You really can't handle a little sweat? Sure you're not a mer _maid_?"

Law stiffened, smile falling from his face in an instant. He removed his arms from the boat and crossed them tightly across his chest, muscles flexed taut so they stood in clear relief. "I know what am I."

Finally, something that got to the merman. "Let's see…you complain about my manners, and bitch about how I smell. Sounds like a woman to me."

"I'm _male_ ," Law spat, eyes narrowed. He scowled, teeth bared with jaw fins stiffly extended, and it might have been threatening if not for the pretty way the light danced on the wet scales. The effect reminded him of Law's tail, how the coiled length had caught the sun's rays and made them all the more bright.

There had been something else he'd thought of, in the long boring weeks at sea; with Law in his lap, Kid had been too distracted to notice, but afterwards he had mulled over his memories and found something unmistakably odd about the merman.

"Funny thing," Kid mused, examining his nails in mockery of Law. "When Killer and I had you up on the boat, we could see all of you, and you know what?"

Law didn't answer, holding himself upright and eyeing Kid suspiciously.

Kid dropped his hand and braced himself to lean over the edge of the boat, getting right up in Law's space. " _I didn't see a dick._ "


	9. Chapter 9

_"I didn't see a dick."_

The atmosphere between them plummeted, turning almost frigid. Kid could see Law's breath catch, steady rise and fall of his chest pausing, before Law focused a look of such pure hate on him that he involuntarily pulled backwards.

"Eustass," the merman crooned, sickly-sweet smile spreading on his face to match his tone. "You really should be careful around the water." The ocean surface rippled around him, and the boat began to rock ever so gently. "I've seen that people like you have…issues with swimming."

The threat was so clear, so naked, that if Killer were here, the fish would be headless right now. But Killer was back in the medbay, being a whole lot of useless with his injured leg. He could call out to his crew, but chances were that Law would drag him down before they had time to act.

Kid was alone against the merman, but he didn't care. The animal side of him was waking, rising to the challenge, and he could feel adrenaline firing in his veins. If Law wanted to play games…well, Kid could play.

"See, there's this thing about my power." Kid called up sparks around his metal bracelets, letting them jump back and forth between his hands. "It's a little hard to control, especially when I get angry. I've seen it do some crazy stuff." He watched Law's eyes flick down to the sparks and back to his face, that fixed smile never wavering.

Kid directed a purple bolt to snap across the bracelets, loud crack echoing over the water. Law's earrings were right there in front of him, and at this distance he could pull one straight through the merman's skull without too much trouble.

Law fixed him with a stare, gold gaze level and unblinking, holding his ground even though he had to be feeling the charged air gathering around Kid. His smile was strained now, and Kid thought of how easily those jagged teeth that ripped through the hull of a ship could tear through his throat. He thought of how fast the merman could move, how easy it would be for him to pull Kid into the water and drown him.

It sent a thrill up and down the fine hairs at the back of his neck; he wanted that kind of strength behind him, wanted to be able to direct it against his enemies and see the fear in their eyes when they stared down this exotic, powerful creature and thought of how easily it could tear _their_ throats out.

He really didn't want to kill him, not if there was even the slightest chance he could get him on his crew. And honestly, starting off with a deadly staredown wasn't the worst way he'd started off with some of his crewmates. Kid killed the sparks between his bracelets and let his arms fall. "I don't want to kill you."

Law's smile dropped, his brows crinkling with confusion as his gaze followed Kid's hands down. "Ah?"

"I don't want to kill you. I really don't. You keep it interesting, yeah?"

Law blinked at him, eyes widening and mask falling completely to give way to a look of utter disbelief. His odd, gold-ringed pupils went wide, far wider than any normal human's could, and Kid repressed the urge to shudder. "Excuse me?"

"Do you want to kill me?" Kid was betting a lot by putting his guard down. Granted, he didn't need his hands up to tear the merman to shreds with his own jewelry, but he felt weaker all the same. Law would be crazy to attack after he'd put so much effort into keeping Kid alive, right?

"I…ah…" Law seemed inordinately confused. His hands had been clenched tight on his crossed arms, but now they came loose and hung at his sides, still held in fists. With the way his eyes were darting back and forth between Kid and the water, he seemed to be suspicious of this new turn, and was getting ready to escape.

"Law. I know you're not a mermaid. We don't want to kill each other, so can we chill?"

Law's eyes shot back to him at the use of his name, narrowing; then he seemed to come to his senses and scowled. It was a natural scowl, without the plastered-on look his smile had earlier. "It's a common mistake, and a rather insulting one. If you'd been chased by horny fishmen for a few years, then you'd hate it too. They're too stupid to tell the difference when it matters."

That hadn't been what had set him off, though; the dick thing had. Honestly, Kid had said it just to see if he could get an honest rise out of him; it wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten a death threat out of something he considered to be just a joke. It annoyed him that such a simple thing as a jab at his dick would get Law raring to go, but Killer would call him a hypocrite, so he kept his mouth shut.

For now.

"Why the hell did you help me, anyway? And don't give me any shit about just wanting to, I won't buy it."

Law opened his mouth, then closed it. His forehead wrinkled, and he frowned. "Do you really care?"

"You've done it twice now, you say you don't expect anything in return, and you being at Sirrock proves you've been following me. Yeah, I wanna know."

"I wasn't exactly _following_ you," Law skirted, and Kid gritted his teeth. "Answer the damn question."

Law's eyes narrowed at the order, but he seemed to give it thought.

If Law didn't tell him the truth after this, Kid decided, he'd pull him up onto the boat. The merman was so much more workable when he was out of the water, and Kid had gotten more answers out of him in those few minutes with Law in his lap than he had any other time they'd talked.

Law apparently reached a decision, because he cleared his throat to gain Kid's attention. "Are you aware of the Sabaody slave market?"

Kid had heard a bit about it. "Yeah, why?"

"Mermen fetch quite the high price there, with the rarity and tails and all. I've run into several hunters, but they've been easy to sink or simply outswim. However, a few have been more…annoying."

"And this involves me, how?" Was he going to ask for Kid's help in getting rid of them?

"I'm getting there. The worst so far has been a marine, a captain in fact."

Did he mean..? "That creep from Sirrock?"

"The same. He's been smart enough to use metal-plated ships, and he's eaten some kind of fruit that lets him track people. He happened to see me at some port or another, and ever since then he's been able to follow me wherever I go."

"So what? You're faster than him." Kid was starting to get a vague idea of where this was headed, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"It's tiring, always being on the run. I've led him through whirlpools and storms and halfway into the Calm Belt, but the bastard always pulled through, and I wanted to be rid of him. When I heard you were in the area-"

"You led him to me, so he'd try to track me instead," Kid finished, but Law shook his head.

Law's voice was plain, stripped of its usual teasing undertone. "Not quite. I've kept up with the news, I've seen what you've done, and frankly, Eustass, I expected you to crush him."

Oh. Well, that was a little different. His ego swelled, warmth rising in his chest. "I would've, if it weren't for the pussy with the bow." The wound in his arm, long healed, twinged in sympathy.

Law seemed to agree. "Honestly, an arrow was the last thing I expected to pull out of you. Only the most isolated islanders use bows anymore, anyway. What the hell was a _marine_ doing with one?"

That settled it. Law was the fastest thing he'd ever seen, could sink those annoying marine chasers Kid hated, and knew that bows were fucking dumb. Kid was determined to have the merman on his crew.

But he still hadn't explained what had happened afterwards, or why he'd followed him to Sirrock. "Why'd you help me, when I jumped in the water and got trapped by the marines?"

Kid watched the water rise and fall around Law's midsection, the movements of his hidden tail disturbing the currents. "I didn't lie to you. I found you attractive; it'd have been a shame to leave such a well-made body to rot."

Kid took that as a compliment.


	10. Chapter 10

"Come up on the boat."

"No."

"Why _not_?" Kid whined, childish annoyance roused at how easily Law had denied him.

"I don't want to."

"It's dangerous down there, the marines could show up at any time."

Law waved a hand, dismissing his argument. "I tied their anchors."

"They could cut the lines."

"By the time they think of it, you'll be out of reach. Besides, they're harmless without their captain's fruit power." Law was studying his _nails_ , of all things. Did mermen even have human nails?

"Are you sure he's dead?"

"I drowned him myself. Really, Eustass, why do you want me up there so badly? You've seen what I am."

So much for trying to work around it. "I wanna beat your tail."

"You want to _what_."

"Your tail. The…the…" Kid racked his brain for a way to describe it. "Mind control."

The utterly lost look on Law's face was almost cute, head cocked and eyebrows drawn together as his jaw fins settled flat against his neck.

Kid tried again. "The…hypnotism?"

That did it. Understanding smoothed the lines of Law's features. "You want to stop it from happening? Why?"

"I can't have it distracting me when we fight." Wasn't that obvious?

"When _we_ fight? What makes you think I'll be helping you?"

Oh, shit. Kid had forgotten to tell him. "You're joining my crew."

"I don't think so, Eustass," Law hissed, bristling. He crossed his arms over his chest, raising himself as much as he could in the water. The first scales of his fish half were visible above the water, and tiny waves revealed more with each swell. Kid's eyes were automatically drawn there, gaze fixating on the place where deep blue blended seamlessly into tan.

 _If I hold him in place by the earrings, he can't swim away. I could pull him up here and…_

 _He'd rip my throat out as soon as I got close._ There; that was himself talking. He forced his eyes up to meet Law's hard gaze. "Why not?"

"I'm not going to be your little pet, Eustass." The merman's tone was laced with venom.

"The fuck you get that idea from?" Kid couldn't remember saying anything like that.

"Why else would you want me? I'm useless on a ship." The tip of his tail surfaced briefly, flat fins slapping against the water before sinking back below. "Or did you forget?"

"No, you idiot, that's what I want you for. Those chasers are a bitch to take down, and if you can just chew right through them-"

"That isn't something I intend to do again. They taste awful."

"Well, you can swim around and scout for other ships-"

"And risk being seen? You'd have slavers swarming you in a minute."

"So what? I'd send their sorry asses to the bottom of the-"

"Just like you did at Sirrock?" Law raised an eyebrow, lips quirking in an amused grin.

Kid scrunched up his face, scowling at the reminder. "Look, half of that was your damn fault."

"And what makes you think it won't happen again? Really, Eustass, you have no real reason to trust me."

"You saved me twice." And yeah, Kid wasn't happy about it, but he was running out of things to counter Law with. The bastard somehow had an answer ready for everything he threw at him, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"Both times were for my own purposes. If I do join you, there's nothing keeping me from betraying you at any point. You have quite the bounty, after all."

"You won't." At least that was one thing Kid could be utterly sure of.

"Oh?" Law narrowed his eyes. "Why so certain?"

"You're too smart. If you really meant to turn on me, you'd have just joined, without telling me everything that could go wrong."

Law didn't have a snappy retort for that, and Kid grinned wide. "Gotcha. C'mon, join my crew."

The merman finally seemed to take his proposal seriously, settling back in the water. It still didn't take long for him to answer, though. "No."

Kid's smile fell, morphing into a scowl. Usually, this was the point where he'd toss the guy over his shoulder and drag them back to his ship, but that wouldn't work with Law. He paused for a moment, trying to find a possible way to get the merman on the boat. He thought of just picking him up, but remembered how heavy that damn thing in the water was. No way he'd be able to do it quickly, with Law fighting him. "Fuck, fine. Have it your way."

This wasn't over, though. He'd cut his losses now, but only so he had time to think of something else to try later. Speaking of which... "Hey, got any plans for the next few months?"

Law blinked, eyeing him with suspicion. "Maybe. Maybe not. Why?"

"Follow me to Sabaody."

Law huffed, jaw fins flaring out. "Don't order me around. I already told you, I'm not joining your crew."

"You don't have to join. Just stick around. Make things a little less boring, y'know?"

"You have a ship full of people to entertain you, Eustass."

"Yeah, but none of them have a tail." It was a half-assed joke, really, but the merman clearly didn't take it that way.

"So it's the tail, is it?" Law said bitterly, arms tightening across his chest. "I figured. Really, you could've just kidnapped a mermaid instead of wasting time on me."

Really, Kid should have learned from the first time he'd tried a joke, but he wasn't known for that. "Gods, it's not about the fucking tail. You're smart. You're fast. You're strong, you're cool, and I'm curious, okay? Not everybody's after your goddamn tail. Fucking _hell_. You gonna be all prissy about it? I'm not just gonna sit here and take it. I got a crew to lead and a ship to fix, and I can't do it if you keep showing up to bitch at me all the time."

He kicked his legs out and slid down in the boat, resting his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes, beyond done with the merman, conveniently forgetting that he'd been the one to call Law over to talk in the first place.

There was a beat of silence, and another. Then..."Eustass, open your eyes."

"No."

"Eustass, open up."

"Fuck off." He'd said he was done, hadn't he? Why the fuck was Law still bothering him?

" _Eustass_ ," the merman said, with palpable exasperation. " _Look_."

Kid cracked an eye open, more out of needing to see where Law was so he could flip him off properly rather than real curiosity.

Then his other eye opened, entirely of its own volition, and he stared.

Law was on his back, hands behind his head, laying horizontal to the water's surface so that his tail stretched out alongside the boat. Every few seconds, the fin would dip down and paddle the water to keep him afloat, but otherwise his gleaming coils were exposed to the air.

Even in the relaxed position, Law's eyes were bright with tension when Kid looked up at him.

"Compromise?" the merman offered with a tight-lipped smile.

It was hard to stay angry with all those pretty, dancing colors staring him in the face. God, how could anything be that _shiny?_ He just had to reach out and touch it, to prove to himself that it was real.

Kid caught himself with a hand halfway over the boat, fingers stretched out like claws towards Law's tail. The merman hadn't moved, but his smile had gotten tighter, lips straining at the edges. "It isn't going to work, Eustass. Believe me, I've tried."

"I noticed it," Kid argued. "I stopped. It's working, damn it."

"You may be able to notice when it's happening, but that isn't all. What if it's someone else? Your crew? What if you can't stop it in time? What if you _don't_ notice, what if you _don't_ stop, and..." Law's voice trailed off, expression oddly vulnerable.

Kid remembered that look. It was the same look he'd had on when he'd been spread out in the boat with them. "Then say something. When it happens, _tell_ me to stop. We would've listened!"

"Trust me, they never-" Law abruptly went still, eyes narrowing, and Kid got the feeling that he'd said more that he'd intended to. When he spoke again, his tone was cold. "But that is irrelevant. The issue is that it happens at all, and is therefore a distraction that you cannot afford."

Kid wasn't about to let that little slip go free. He leaned over the edge of the dinghy, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on Law's. "We've fought fishmen before, I can beat 'em. Slavers, too. You said you've heard of me; you _know_ I can kill them before they even get close to you."

"Because you have such a _wonderful_ track record when it comes to that."

Okay, that stung a little bit. "I got this bounty for a reason, y'know."

"I'm plenty capable of dealing with them myself."

"Or using other people to do it for you," Kid added.

Law shrugged, utterly unapologetic, shoulder fins rippling in the water. "Or that."


	11. Chapter 11

"You said you just outswim most stuff, right? You planning on running your whole life?" Kid wasn't able to comprehend how someone could just...walk away from something, allowing it the chance to bite them in the ass later. Unfinished business was ugly; he liked having his problems nice and solved, and preferably stuck full of metal.

"It's better than being trapped on Fishman Island. I'd rather be out here and hunted than stuck in a glorified bubble prison."

Kid couldn't argue with that. If he was on the same island for more than a week, he started getting antsy.

Another quiet pause. Those seemed common for them, the little moments of silence after they'd matched each other in wit or will. They'd both take the time to gather themselves, planning their next move.

Kid was the first to break it this time. "Why'd you follow me to Sirrock, then?"

"To make sure the job got done."

 _Makes sense._ Kid moved on to the next question. "Why'd you help me out?"

"Because the job wasn't getting done."

This is obviously doing nothing to make Law open up, so Kid tries a different route. "Your tail's been out for a while."

"So it has."

"I haven't jumped you," he added.

"So you haven't." Law's tone was devoid of emotion.

"Got anything to say about that?"

"You're not even looking at it, of course it's not affecting you."

Kid forced himself to look away from Law's face, letting his eyes roam deliberately slow over the rest of his body. Huh, those markings on his chest really were shaped like a heart, too sharp-lined to be natural. He'd have to ask about them. And the wavy fins along his forearms; what were they for? He'd have to ask about those, too.

This time, he felt the jolt when his gaze reached the tail. It was like his mind had been hijacked, his thoughts forcibly redirected from casual curiosity to sudden, harsh need. _Reaching out, grabbing handfuls of scaled muscles and pushing down to grind against-_

"Fuck," he said, more to ground himself with his own voice than anything else. "Okay, yeah, I see it."

Law's response sounded small in his ears, as if coming from very far away. "See what? ...Eustass? ...can ...hear me?"

 _That long coil spread out on his bed, holding it between his hands and watching it bend and writhe beneath him-_ Kid struggled to force a coherent thought through the heavy murk in his head. Holy shit, had it really been this strong the last time he'd seen Law? "Yeah, I'm here."

"What are...thinking?" Law was shifting a bit in the water to get a better look at him, the movement causing little ripples to move up and down his tail. Kid knew he should answer Law, knew he should look away, but he just couldn't manage the will to do it. He just _knew_ that Law would feel amazing under him, and God, he couldn't think of any good reason not to have him _right here right now_.

Kid realized, abruptly, that he was losing the battle in his head. It was only a matter of time until he broke and either pulled Law up on the dinghy or just jumped in the water to get to him.

"Put...away. Away. Put it away!" he managed after several tries, and the tail was gone between one blink and the next. Kid's senses hit him all at once; the sound of waves, the smell of salt, and the pain in his fingers from where they were clenched tight around the rim of the boat.

Law was watching him curiously, head cocked to one side. His tail was hidden safely beneath the surface once more. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you seem to possess a remarkable amount of self-control. But of course, that can't be."

"You ass," he bit out. "That was _way_ harder than last time."

"Was it? Hmm." The merman's tone was flippant, but his eyes cut away for a split second and Kid _knew_ there was a reason behind it.

Kid rested his head in his hands, rubbing his palms over his eyes. The merman's tail had to be one of the weirdest things he'd ever come across on the Grand Line, and he'd seen some pretty weird shit. "Fucking hell," he whispered, under his breath. "Fucking... _hell_. What am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing, Eustass." Law sounded bitter, his face tight and words clipped. "There's nothing you can do. Is there anything else you need, or can I leave without you threatening to tear my ears off?"

There had been something, something Wire had made him swear to get before sending him down in the dinghy, but it didn't seem important now. "Will you still follow me around?"

Law was quiet for a moment. "Maybe. Maybe not. Why do you care? I'm not joining your crew."

"What if I need saving again?" He was only half joking.

"You've already made it clear that you don't intend on returning any favors."

"You said it'd be a shame for me to throw away such a nice body."

"You'd be surprised at how many drowning bodies I come across down here. Perhaps I'll find a nicer one." Law was doing it again, deflecting everything he could come up with. The merman was clearly running out of patience, fingers tapping the boat's rim and eyes sliding to the horizon.

Kid found himself increasingly desperate. "I can protect you, you know. If anyone comes after you."

"I've lived my whole life this way, Eustass. I can protect myself."

"Do you need anything? Money? Maps? We've got it."

" _Eustass._ " Law didn't sound exasperated as much as simply tired. " _Stop_. It isn't going to work."

There was nothing he could say to that. Kid felt pathetic, and if his crew had been here he'd have dropped it long before he sunk to this point.

"If you need anything," he said, annoyance sparking at how weak his voice came out, "You come find me. Okay?"

Law closed his eyes, exhaling long and slow. Kid was getting used to the oddities of his face now, the sharp-lined gills cut in his neck and the winged fins behind his cheekbones. They were still odd, making him start whenever he caught them out of the corner of his eye, but they no longer gave him shivers just from looking at them. It was so odd, how unlike everything else he was…

"Okay."

And he was gone.

"Did you get it?" was the first thing that greeted Kid after his crew hauled him back onto the ship.

"Get what?" He remembered the instant the words came out of his mouth, and swore. _The seaweed._ "Fuck, I didn't even think about it."

Wire frowned at him, but Kid was in no mood to deal with the man's disappointment. He already had Killer's to look forward to, not to mention his own.

He briefly considered heading straight to his own room, just calling it quits for the night without letting his first mate know just how much of a fucking failure he'd been. But the lecture he'd get tomorrow would be twice as bad, maybe worse with the secondhand rumors Killer would get from the crew.

So he turns at the hallway and drags his ass to the medbay.

Killer takes one look at Kid, slumped in the doorway with his head down, and just seems to fucking _know._ Even drug-addled as he is, his first mate is smart enough to pick up on what Kid isn't saying. "I'm not going to say that you knew this would happen, because you probably didn't even think about it, but that thing has literally no reason to come with us."

"He fought for me," Kid starts, but Killer shakes his head. With his mask off, it's so much worse; Kid could _see_ the disappointment.

It doesn't stop him though, and he goes on. "The marine guy, he was a slaver. Had some kind of tracking fruit power…he was chasing him, and Law heard of me and led him to me and _no don't put your damn hand up, I'm not done!_ " Stopping there made it sound so bad, so much worse than it was, and even though it really had kind of been like that, Kid wasn't going to sit through a lecture about the wrong damn thing.

Killer eyes him, then lowers his hand. Kid waits for him to do it, feeling like an idiot for doing so because he's the captain, damnit, but it's good to know that Killer's going to listen.

He starts again. "So he led the guy to me, because he wanted me to kill him and end the problem. After I…escaped…"

Killer snorts, but Kid's happy enough to have his ear that he doesn't give him shit for it.

"After I escaped, the guy was pissed and starting doing his tracking thing on me. Law followed us to Sirrock to make sure he died."

"Metal ships," Killer mused. "I wondered why they'd have ironclads out so far from land, they're shit for speed in the currents around here, and especially knowing you're around…"

"…He can't chew through metal," Kid finished. He honestly haven't given it that much thought, tossing it under the heading of _marines being morons_ , but it made sense. "When I crushed the ironclads, they sent out wooden ones. Fuck, that guy must've been a total fucking idiot. He _knew_ Law could go right through that stuff, and he still sent them after me?"

"You do tend to do that to people," Killer pointed out.

"You're damn right." He'd had eight separate bands of island militias swear to track him down and kill him at all costs for what he'd done to their homes. Kid and his crew had even had the pleasure of seeing one, their first, be eaten by a sea king when they strayed a little too close to the Calm Belt trying to get a few shots off at him.

Damn, maybe he'd have nine now. He knew he'd seen a few people escape from the fire on Sirrock, using fishing boats moored at the smaller harbor; burning their island to shit was a good reason to swear vengeance, right?

The thought brightened him considerably. He didn't need Law; he was perfectly formidable by himself. Hell, he'd made it this far, and survived everything that came at him, whether or not he'd had help.

He was going to be perfectly fine.

Three days later, Killer's quick grip was the only thing keeping him from going over the railing when he saw a flash of gold in the waves behind the ship.


End file.
